no-kill animal shelters questions!?!?

LOL that you think it's better for kittens to "outside" and "free". So you think leaving them on the streets to be hit by cars, eaten by coyotes, killed by loose dogs, picked up and sold to test labs, catching diseases from other cats, etc is better than taking them to a shelter where they'll have the chance of finding homes? You can't be serious.

No-kill shelters will take in any cat/kitten as long as they have the room. Most no-kills have not just the shelter but a network of foster homes that take care of the animals as well. Here's a list of them by state http://fluffynet.com/no-kill-shelters/

This is a complex question, and deserves a good answer. As far as finances go, I don't think I can answer you. As far as the rest go, I've given it a fair amount of thought. The most important conclusion I've come to, is that I've yet to see a no-kill shelter with an open door policy. They simply don't work. The reason is simple. No mater how big a shelter is, or how many resources they have, there is a limit to how much capacity they have. This means a very simple truth -- the rate of incoming animals has to be equal to, or less than the rate of outgoing animals. If this weren't the case, then the shelter would fill up. No kill shelters generally answer this truth by filtering at the door. They don't let in animals that they don't think will be adoptable. (or they let in animals only as animals are adopted out). This can sometimes leave 'kill' shelters with the 'rejects' from the no kill shelters (making their job harder). "Kill" shelters answer the challenge by increasing their 'outgoing' rate through euthanasia. Truly no kill shelters can end up in a difficult situation if they let in an 'unadoptable' animal. I heard a case not that long ago of a dog that was going to require extensive nursing care, and vet bills for the rest of its life (the dog had a medical condition that was managable (with difficulty), but was expensive, and made the dog next to impossible to adopt). The dog was faced with a lifetime in a shelter environment, and a poor quality of life. Is this right?

Outdoor cats can be subdued to injury and diseases much faster and consequences usually only lead to death. What I would do is to take them to call the animal shelter you know of and ask if they can spay or neuter the kittens. You should also ask for vaccines for the kittens. You can also contact them for information on a no-kill animal shelters, there are plenty of them out there depending on where you live. If you have no luck and really want to give them a home, shipping is allowed but its costly and stressful to the kittens at times.

If not all of that, you could at least just spay or neuter them, some vets do it for free because there are so many feral cats or irresponsibly bred cats released in the wild. Do the best you can and good luck!

Sorry you couldn't keep them :(

No, if they are no-kill, they will not put the animal down if it is adoptable. The only time they put animals down is severe aggression that they don't think can be trained out of, or health reason.

Would you rather have them locked in a cage until the find a great new home, or alone, outside, left to fend for themselves, at the mercy of the weather, other cats, coyotes, hawks, foxes, dogs, cars, mean teenagers, poisons, chemicals, etc?

I'd choose a shelter until they get a good home.

In a no kills shelter, they will be put into foster care. There they will be well taken care of in a friendly home, and then adopted out to their forever home. Please do not put them back outside. Even if they do not get put into foster care, kittens tend to be adopted very quickly, so they won't be stuck in the shelter for long. Also, no kill shelters usually have nicer facilities and spend more time with their animals, as they will be kept until they are adopted no matter what. This a far better than being outside and becoming feral.

Ni kill Shelters are amazing.

Unfortunately, a lot dont have room to take in more animals.

Hopefully the one in your area does.

Call them and ask if they have room and what will be done with the cats once they are there. Whether they will be caged or fostered. Either way, the cat will be safe from death and the wild.

(If they have been in your yard for awhile and you can afford to leave cat food and water out for them then it may be okay to leave them out. I know a lot of people wont agree, but my youngest male lived outside for 6 months, never left my yard during that time and lives inside now. They usually choose to stay where they know there is food. It does depend on the age and where you live though so you may not want to take the chance.)

If you dont want to do either - ask people to take them in!

Good Luck. :) I hope you find places for them both!

no kill shelters do kill!!! We found some kittens in the dumpster at church and took them to a clearly labeled no kill shelter. We turned them over and thank god i asked if they wasnt adopted soon could she call me and i would adopt all 3. She looked down and said right now these are sick, and since were putting down healthy animals these will be put down within 2 days. Lets just say we took them back. Oh and there meds were only 24 bucks to treat all three! When i started volunteering there intake was about 30 a day sometimes more! There was no room for them. Maybe you should try to find them homes yourself. You can try to find private there not really shelters but look like pet stores but have rescued animals. They dont kill. Or you can try to find homes for them yourself.

Please take them to the shelter where they have a great chance of finding good homes. Leaving them outside so they can be free means they will contribute to the over population of stray cats that will most likely become feral. Outside cats have an average lifespan of 5 years while indoor cats in a loving home can live to be 15-20 years of age. Please take them to the shelter. Cats sleep a lot and being in a cage where there is food, fresh water, and warmth is not cruel, they love being in cozy places.

They are kittens. Either kill or no kill they will be adopted with in a week.

Living outside - Figure out their age. They might be so young they are still dependent on mothers milk or not know how to hunt. If that's the case, you NEED to get them to a shelter, or give them to friends. If old enough, they're cats, they'll be fine.

Another option- If you live near farms, drop them off by the farm house and they will learn how to be barn cats. But Caution!!! Farmers normally don't like this, so don't get caught.

Don't let them loose into the wild. This will cause overpopulation and will turn them into mean animals. If I were you I would give it to a friend who can care for it, not a shelter!